QE2 leaves N.Y. to become hotel

San Francisco transportation great for trips

NEW YORK - After four decades of plying the world's oceans, the cruise liner Queen Elizabeth 2 made its final visit to New York.

The ship is scheduled to be converted into a five-star floating hotel in Dubai, the flashy resort center in the United Arab Emirates.

Its send-off from the Big Apple on Oct. 16 featured a rendezvous with sister ship Queen Mary 2 at the Statue of Liberty and a fireworks shower before the two cruise ships headed home to Britain together.

They had a similar rendezvous last January but that event also included the newest Cunard liner, Queen Victoria.

Launched in 1969, the QE2 has made at least 26 round-the-world voyages and weathered a 95-foot wave during an Atlantic hurricane. At 70,000 tons - less than half the size of the QM2 - it is still considered big enough to succeed as a desert luxury hotel.

The ship's final trip will run from Southampton, England, to Dubai, in November.